My First Coat Wearable Muslin (11/2012)

Description

I have just recently started sewing again after 10 years off and was hoping to learn some new skills and freshen my old ones too. I have never done a coat before and I was super nervous to try this without muslin as the real fabric was quite expensive. I have decided to set goals for my projects before I start so I don’t get bogged down with trying to do ALL things and ALL the skills ALL the time. Too stressful. The goals for this coat were as follows:

1. Make a muslin (hopefully wearable) . . .and yes it is!!
2. Learn how to modify a pattern (I added seem pockets for the first time and I underlined it)
3. Learn how to do a Hong Kong seam finish.

I cut a small on the top and sleeves and added 4inches to the length (I am 6 feet tall) and I cut a medium bottom and added 2 inches length here. Once the coat was finished, I didn’t particularly like how boxy the top looked on my so I added two pleats in the back and slapped on a back tab and some buttons to finish it. On the real version I will definitely add a vertical dart there instead. Overall, I am so happy with the result and I learned so much.

Material Notes

Material purchased online was advertised as camel colored 100% wool. When I received it, it was camel colored from afar but close up it has pastel pink, green, blue, yellow threads running through it. Though this is not a fabric I would have picked, I used it because it was my muslin anyway and it actually matched my kiwi green china silk lining and the contrast fabric I used to make my bias tape.

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